Safety-envelope



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.-

IVALTER SIDNEY ANDREWS, OF MONTAGUE, MASSACHUSETTS.

SAFETY-ENVELO PE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 554,640, dated February18, 1896. Application fil d April 10, 1895. Renewed January 16, 1896.Serial No. 575,816. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WVALTER SIDNEY AN- DREWS, a citizen of the UnitedStates, and a resident of Montague city, county of Franklin,and State ofMassachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inSafety-Envelopes, of which the following is a specification, referencebeing had to the accompanyin g drawings, forming a part thereof, inwhich similar figures of reference indicate corresponding parts.

This invention relates to the manufacture of envelopes, and the objectthereof is to produce an envelope which, having been once sealed, cannotbeopened without destroying the envelope.

The invention is fully disclosed in the following specification, ofwhich the accompanying drawings form a part, in which Figure 1represents a blank from which my improved envelope is formed; Fig. 2,said blank partially folded, and Fig. 3 the completed envelope.

In the practice of my invention I cut from a sheet of paper from whichthe envelopes are manufactured a blank of the form shown in Fig. 1,having a body-piece 2, end pieces, 3, a main side piece, 4:, and theusual flap 5. I next cut longitudinalslots or recesses 6-in each endpiece, as clearly shown in Fig. 1, near the upper part thereof, thecorners of the end pieces being preferably cut away, as indicated, andin the side piece, 4, near the outer edge thereof, a longitudinal slot7. The outer side of one of the end pieces is then gummed in the usualmanner, as shown at 8, Fig. 2, and also the ends and outer side of theside piece 4, as shown at 9, and the lower inner portion of the sides ofthe flap 5, as shown at 10, and the outer side and the edges thereof, asshown at 11, Fig. 2, for about half its width.

In folding the ends and sides of the envelope the end piece 3 having thegummed outer surface is first folded down, as shown in Fig. 2, afterwhich the outer end piece, 3, is folded thereon and sealed thereto, thelongitudinal slots 6 registering with each other. The side piece, 4, isthen folded over the end pieces and sealed along the ends an d the innerside thereof, in which position the longitudinal slots or recesses 6 inthe end pieces and the longitudinal slot 7 in the side will register, aswill be readily understood, and the envelope will be ready for use.

When it is desired to close or seal the flap 5, the same is folded over,as clearly shown in Fig. 3, and the inner sides thereof sealed in thebody of the envelope, and before the outer end portion is insertedthrough the longitudinal slots 7 and 6 in the side and end pieces theouter gummed side and edges thereof are moistened, and after theinsertion the sides of the envelope are pressed down in the usualmanner, the form of the back of the envelope when sealed being clearlyshownin Fig. 6;

As thus constructed and sealed, it will be absolutely impossible to openthis envelope without destroying the same, and I thus accomplish theobject of my invention by means of a device which is simple inconstruction and operation, which does not materially change theconstruction or form of the envelopes as now made, and which isperfectly adapted to accomplish the result for which it is intended.

If desired, I may gum one side of the slot 7 in the side 4 on the innerside thereof, as shown at 12, though this is not absolutely necessary. Iprefer, however, that it should be done, as when thus provided andsealed the lines 13, 14, and 15 of the envelope are each sealed, and theend pieces, the side 4:, and the flap are also sealed on the innersides, as will be readily understood.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. An envelope, consisting of a blank having the usual end piecesprovided with longitudinal slots or recesses in the ends thereof adaptedto register when the ends are folded, the main side of the envelopebeing also provided with a corresponding longitudinal slot adapted toregister with the slots in the end pieces when the three are folded, theend of the outer side of one of the end pieces, the side edges of theinner side of the flap for about half their lengths, beginning at theside adjacent to the body of the envelope, and the side edges on theouter side thereof at the free edge, and also the ends and sides of theopposite or main side of the envelope 011 the illner side, being gummed,substantially as shown and described.

2. An envelope, consisting of a blank having the usual end piecesprovided with longitudinal slots or recesses in the ends thereof adaptedto register when the ends are folded, the main side of the envelopebeing also provided with a corresponding longitudinal slot adapted toregister with the slots in the end pieces when the three are folded, theend of the outer side of one end of the end pieces, the side edges ofthe inner side of the flap for about half their lengths, beginning atthe side adjacent to the body of the envelope, and the

